London wins 2011 ACC Coach of the Year award

During just his second season at the helm of the Virginia football team, coach Mike London has already orchestrated the fifth-best single-season turnaround in the country and clinched the program's first winning record and bowl game since 2007. Now London can add ACC Football Coach of the Year honors to his growing list of accolades.

When the conference announced the award yesterday, London joined Bill Elias, George Blackburn, two-time winner Al Groh and four-time winner George Welsh as Virginia head coaches to earn the honor.

After posting a 4-8 record during his inaugural 2010 season at Virginia, London led the Cavaliers (8-4, 5-3 ACC) to a second-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division this season. Virginia still awaits word on its postseason destination, but with a late-December bowl victory, London can tie Groh's 2007 team for the program's best record since Welsh went 9-3 in 1998.

As head coach at Richmond, his alma mater, London also won the 2008 FCS National Coach of the Year award of both the American Football Coaches Association and Schutt Sports/American Monthly magazine after leading the Spiders to a 13-3 record and the FCS National Championship during the 2008 season.

London has three years remaining on a five-year, $1.7 million per year contract signed when he replaced Groh for the 2010 season.

-compiled by Matt Welsh

Published November 30, 2011 in Sports